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Adherence to Medication - Predictive Factors in RA
The numbers on treatment adherence is disappointingly low in RA, with a number of psychological, communication and logistical factors that outweigh the potentially negative influence of sociodemographic or clinical factors.
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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
FDA Puts Boxed Warnings on JAK Inhibitors
Based on the safety review of tofacitinib in Pfizer's Oral Surveillance (1133) study, the FDA has added serious boxed warnings to all three marketed JAK inhibitors (for inflammatory diseases) and formalized the recommendation that patients should be started on a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) before trying a JAK inhibitor. These recommendations apply to tofacitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis, Dementia and Cognitive Dysfunction
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive dysfunction, but interestingly this association has diminished in the last few decades with aggressive DMARD and targeted therapies..
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DORIS - Defining Remission in Lupus
Proponents of treat to target in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have all agreed that "remission" should be the goal, but defining remission may be tricky in SLE. A SLE Definitions Of Remission (DORIS)Task Force was convened in 2015 and first published their work in 2016.
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Giant Cell Arteritis Novel Treatment Options
Giant cell arteritis is associated with significant treatment related morbidity due to the dependence on glucocorticoids as a treatment option. After sixty years of therapeutic stagnation, these are exciting times in the management of GCA. At this year's ACR Convergence meeting, encouraging data will be presented on options for GCA.
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Safety of Psoriatic Biologics in Pregnancy
Little is known about the safety of newer biologic use during pregnancy, especially in patients who either conceive while on a biologic or must remain on a biologic during pregnancy (often the case with IBD and inflammatory arthritis).
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Does Control of Inflammation Lower Cancer Risk?
Dr. Jonathan Kay's provocative video addresses whether the increased cancer risk associated with tofacitinib (Tofa) seen in the Pfizer Oral Surveillance (1133) study represents a real increased risk, an increased risk relative to a decreased risk with TNF inhibitors (TNFi) or an actual decreased cancer risk (unknown as there was no placebo comparator in this trial).
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The Influence of Obesity on Choice of Biologic in Rheumatoid Arthritis
In rheumatoid arthritis we have a wide range of options available to us when we progress to a biologic treatment option. We have little to differentiate between these agents based on the clinical trials.
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RheumNow Podcast - Unwillingness to Change Therapy (11.19.21)
Surely you’ve seen this or been plagued by this patient, one that is not doing well, in need of a new regimen; you outline it, timeline it, define the side effects and send them off with a new prescription..
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Top vasculitis takeaways from ACR 2021
There were several hot topics at ACR21. Here I concentrate on top abstracts in vasculitis.
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RheumNow Podcast - ACR 2021 Rehash (the good stuff..)
The ACR 2021 meeting has concluded. Dr. Jack Cush recounts a few more great abstracts from this past week’s virtual meeting.
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Predicting RA, and Treatment of Subclinical Arthritis
Identifying patients that will develop RA in situations of seropositivity without overt clinical arthritis or identifying patients with undifferentiated oligo/polyarthritis that will develop RA remains a challenge in the field of rheumatology.
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Can "Ultra-low" dose Rituximab work for RA?
The REDO trial presented data in abstract 1443 in an oral presentation challenging how low we can go with rituximab for rheumatoid arthritis. Their study randomized 118 patients with rheumatoid arthritis to 1000 mg, 500 mg, and "ultra-low" dose 200 mg.
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